On the Subject of Inspiration

First off, Hi to all the random people finding my blog because I've been retweeted by ThinkGeek and Patrick Norton.

I've been feeling rather inspired recently.

I have to admit, this is somewhat frustrating. Where was this inspiration when I was home unemployed doing nothing?

As I've mentioned before, I'm pretty active in two different Pern fandom email groups - Triad Weyrs and (my own site) 11th Pass Pern. I joined Pern fandom a little over a year ago to try and get my spelling, grammar, etc. back up to par to finish work on the aforementioned novel. I've gotten proofreaders. I've gotten feedback - good feedback - from many of them. Half of them keep hounding me for more.

The problem is, now that I'm employed and my free time has lessened, I have more and more ideas.

I'm not really "good" at prioritization.

It's no secret - I've wanted to make a short web series ever since I was in college. Studying film. Because, you know, that's what the modern film major does. Ever since YouTube became a viable source for film projects, that's what the aspiring film maker has tried to do.

It's free. No one controls you. If you make good keywords, people will inadvertently stumble onto your work.

The Guild has been one of my biggest inspirations for years now. Nerdy red headed girl playing MMOs? Yes please! And she's even a Priest! How self-reflective. Ever since I've watched it I've wanted to do something vaguely similar. Something that featured on a more snobbish crew of gamers. The seedy underworld of the MMO subculture.

The "Elitist Jerks" as they're often called.

In The Guild, the Axis of Anarchy hints at it - but we're very rarely meant to sympathize with them. In general, they are meant as the "villains" of the show. But there's so much material there!

Like the stigmas against female gamers at the upper echelon of play, and the assumption that if you're good, it's because someone helped you get gear. Or the drama that occurs when a raid leader calls out a member for their failures. And of course, the psychology behind people that will let their entire real life turn to shambles because they're "godly" in a video game. Or even the Long Distance relationships (protip: there's at least one in every raiding guild)!

But more than just MMOs, Elitists tend to have a different manner of seeing everything. Watching them Powergame at Dungeons and Dragons would be fascinating. Heck, even trips to the local watering hole are amusing (albeit, frequently extremely vulgar).

I wouldn't even necessarily want to start it as a web series - mainly because I don't know enough people who'd be willing to "act" for it. I mean, I think it's a viable short story concept as well.

The problem is, no matter how "different" it ended up being, it'd always be thought of as a "stolen" concept - because it is. And I think because of that very reason, I'd never want to do it.

I wish I had inspirations for original concepts, and not variations on current themes...

Oh well.